Witchcraft Books Linked to NM Murder
13. January, 2007When Teresa Gilman, of Portales, New Mexico, murdered her son, she may have used some books about Witchcraft and magic as a guide for her ritual, according to 9th Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler, quoted in this article from the ABQjournal. It would seem that Gilman believed that ‘the devil’ was in her six year-old son, and somehow arrived at the conclusion that books by Gavin and Yvonne Frost, and Caroline Casey would in some way help her with a séance that played an as of yet unexplained role in the murder. Before going on, I’d like to stress to the casual reader (as I feel the author of this original article should have done) that contemporary Witchcraft and Wicca are not religions that promote murder or abuse, and anyone claiming otherwise does not enjoy consensus with the bulk of the people who are following these paths….
The actual reason the District Attorney seized these books is given in a quote from the article:
“We believe the way some of the child abuse resulting in death happened can be related to stuff that’s in those books,” Ninth Judicial District Attorney Matt Chandler said in a telephone interview. “… We believe that the seance that was performed on the night in question is dictated in some of these books.“
I’ve never read the books in question (”The Magic Power of White Witchcraft,” by Gavin and Yvonne Frost; “Making the Gods Work for You: The Astrological Language of the Psyche,” by Caroline Casey; and “The Witch’s Book of Magical Ritual: Use the Forces of Wicca to Direct Your Psychic Powers,” by Gavin Frost). “The Magic Power of White Witchcraft” has some pretty mixed reviews on Amazon.com – however it’s hard for me to imagine that any author in the modern Witchcraft community would write a book aimed at helping people murder their children, and even more difficult for me to credit that publishers, such as Prentice Hall (in the case of “The Magic Power of White Witchcraft”) would publish something of that nature.
The statement from the District Attorney makes me wonder if perhaps he is planning to hold the authors (or others connected with these books) liable, or if he is simply trying to develop futher evidence that Gilman’s murder of her son was premeditated and not the doings of a woman eligible for the insanity plea.
I think it’s tragic that a mother felt compelled, for whatever reasons, to murder her own child – and my condolences go to the rest of the family, especially the sister and two brothers of the murdered boy.
This reminds me of back when Dungeons & Dragons was said to be satanic. People who are crazy enough to commit this sort of crime are going to commit this sort of crime anyway. The books and games don’t make them do it. The sad thing is that so many Christians already think Wicca is Satanism that for them, it’s an easy and obvious connection. Since there is no Satan in Wicca, those of us who have an understanding of these things know that the books could not have led her to a conclusion that a non-existent bad guy of the Christian mythos inhabited her son. If she managed to draw that conclusion (and I’m not familiar with those specific books) it just goes to show she was nuts.
What really gets me is that Wicca gets condemned but when people who commit this sort of crime say the Christian God told them to do it and rely on the Bible, Christianity isn’t condemned, the Bible isn’t condemned. The liability thing…haven’t they tried to pull that kind of thing before, with Rock n’ Roll lyrics (Megadeath or Black Sabbath or somebody) and lost? Way back there was something about Satanic messages in heavy metal or if you played the album backwards or similar nonsense. But if we take this to its logical conclusion, and the book can be to blame, who do we sue in the case of the Bible?
Sounds like the witch-hunt is on, and more’s the pity. There is no ADL for Wiccans, but maybe its time there was.
I don’t know what to say other than this crap just ticks me off. Sounds like the DA is (as was said above)looking for something to support premeditation. Argh.
Gavin and Yvonne Frost are these old-timers who have very different ideas about Wicca and Witchcraft that a lot of practitioners today. Their books contain some seriously questionable material, but it doesn’t matter. Hranfnkell has it right. How many times has some lunatic killed someone and said God made him/her do it? I don’t see anyone rounding up the Bibles or looking to sue the Pope.
Hrafnkell, Kay, and Cosette, thank you for your comments :-)
Hrafnkell, I think you make a really good point with this statement: “People who are crazy enough to commit this sort of crime are going to commit this sort of crime anyway.” I think it’s a horrible thing, what happened to this child and, if a book can be proven to have caused the murder, I’d be open to the idea of having the book and the author(s) investigated. However, I’m having a hard time believing the idea that a book can cause a murder…killing is a choice that books can’t make.
Kay, the more I think about this, the more I’m convinced that this is what’s going on. I don’t think the DA would try to diffuse his own case by going after Pagan authors…something like that would essentially let the mother off the hook, so it makes sense that he’s instead trying to look at the premeditation angle, and put together as clear a picture of the murder as he can for a jury. The question will be how the media sees this, and chooses to report it.
Cosette, thank you for your insights concerning the Frosts…when I haven’t read anything from the authors, it’s reviews from people who actually have read their books that I must rely on :-) As a point of interest in this case, a Scientology book was also seized; but it’s unclear for what purpose. The Christian Bible does not seem to have been seized – despite the mother claiming to have been guided by both ‘God’ and the ‘devil’ in how to drive the ‘devil’ out of her son – nor do I expect that it would be seized, or Christianity linked to the murder.
I think part of the reason why it’s so hard to associate Christianity with things like this is because the majority of people in the US are Christian…they naturally have some understanding of their own religion, just as we understand our own religions, and so it’s harder for them to connect their own religion to murder. When a religion that they do not have this level of understanding toward might be involved, it’s easier for the ‘mainstream’ to think that the religion is associated with the crime.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Bernulf. Christians at least think they know their own book, though I’m convinced most of them know it far less well than they believe. And people are naturally afraid of the unknown. Add to that the Church’s well-known antipathy to Witchcraft and you have all the ingredients for a big bonfire. And once you have one of those, it’s a short step from tossing books to tossing humans.
But I was taught in philosophy that to see if an argument makes sense, take it to its most extreme, and that would argue that all bibles be burnt and its author sued, and since he’s not available, let’s get the people who distribute that book, which by the way is full of murder, bloodshed, sex and human sacrifice. Not good reading for children by my reckoning, or even the reckoning of all these conservative Christian associations, if you look at it from a content standpoint alone.
But then, as Porphyry once said, “it’s easier to draw on water than it is to argue with a Christian.”
Just wanted to let you know that I am now linked to your new site. :)
Sojourner, thank you for the updated link, and welcome back from your New Orleans trip :)
Hrafnkell, Porphyry obviously never tried arguing with Heathens ;-)
Bernulf: Hrafnkell, Porphyry obviously never tried arguing with Heathens ;-)
LOL! Well, there is that! I try to avoid it myself these days out of respect for my blood pressure.
Books by Gavin and Yvonne Frost used to be promoted in ads in the backs of comic books, where you could also find ads for sea monkeys and anti-wimp formulas, the sort that might keep the beach bully from kicking sand in your face. ;) Very sad that this could be another log on the fire of intolerance against Witches. I’m scrolling back through the comments here, because someone (Aha! Bernulf!) brought up the glaringly obvious- the mom said her son had the Devil in him. As far as I know Satan did not fly the space vessels in Scientology’s teachings. And yah, you’d think even many Christians nowadays would note the lack of Satan in Wiccan beliefs. Leaves only one book the Devil, the “reason,” could have hidden in while directing this act, the one mentioned already in these comments. But as was also already pointed out, religion wasn’t responsible for this.
This mom had drug paraphernalia around her home. She was charged with child abuse involving her other children. If the collected books had anything in them that instructed to harm a child, shouldn’t it be brought to light? But even if they did, shouldn’t any mom know not to hurt her baby? All things considered, at least all things the media has shared, sounds like this woman could have found justification in a phone book or an atlas.
*sigh* That sweet baby… so much of life yet to discover.
Chell, thank you for your comment!
You state things quite well, I think. First and foremost, the tragedy of a life snuffed out, so young, by its own mother. Second, that a mother should have the instinct to not kill her own child. Third, to a mother bent on doing such a thing, ‘justification’ and even inspiration could have been found in any book.
Not only did the mother say that the little boy had the devil in him…but also said that the devil (along with ‘God’) told her how to drive the devil out of the boy. The logic fails, somehow…but then when a mother decides to kill her child, I think the failure of logic would just be the proverbial tip of the iceberg of problems.
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